Teknik Pengembangan Alur dalam Novel Metropop Sunshine Becomes You Karya Ilana Tan

This study analyzes plot development techniques in the metropop novel Sunshine Becomes You (SBY) by Ilana Tan with a qualitative approach and Robert Stanton's structuralism theory. Close reading analysis of the narrative and dialog reveals five techniques: (1) exposition through character introduction within the New York urban setting (Chapter 1), (2) Mia's inner conflict following Alex's accident (p. 21), (3) the complicationscomplexities of the layered Mia-Alex relationship (Chapters 21, 24), (4) the physical and emotional climax occurring in the dance studio (Chapter 32), and (5) the poignant resolution marked by Mia's death (Chapter 36). The findings indicate a distinctive integration of Western linear plot structure and Eastern values of patience, which effectively generates suspense through the early foreshadowing of heart disease as early as Chapter 1. This study recommends that popular fiction writers adopt the techniques of layered complications and realistic tragic endings to enhance the emotional depth of their narratives.